Matt Gurney: Oh, sure, cancel the gun registry. But how dare you celebrate!

Gun Registry: Scrapping the registry is fine. But how dare the Tories celebrate!

Once upon a time, it would have been possible to make some logical arguments in favour of the long-gun registry. Probably not logical enough to change many minds — the debate over the particular merits (or lack thereof) of the registry was always more of a litmus test for how one feels about private ownership of firearms. But in this hypothetical debate, you could have made some reasonable arguments for a registry, or at least offered some passable defences of it against libertarian criticisms: It would be a useful crime-fighting tool when guns are stolen, it would provide statistically relevant information of interest to the public, it would generate some revenue (or even just pay for itself). Or that it was not an unreasonable burden for a citizen.

Again, these arguments wouldn’t have flown with a lot of people (myself included). And the registry was so badly executed and proved so frustrating to work with that these arguments wouldn’t have been enough to cut it once theory became practice. But Canada never really had the chance to have that calm, rational discussion, because the registry quickly became a memorial to the victims of gun crime first and a theoretically useful databank a distant second. We were reminded of that again on Wednesday, as Quebec politicians (and a few in Ottawa) erupted in fury not so much at the end of the registry, but that Tory politicians dared celebrate their victory.

The registry isn’t entirely gone — it will still be some months before the Senate finishes reviewing the government’s bill and, one presumes, passes it onto the Governor-General for Royal Assent. But Wednesday’s vote in the House of Commons, where the bill to scrap the registry and delete its record passed third reading — with two NDP MPs breaking ranks with their party to vote with the government — means it’s all over but for the crying (and the senatoring and the David Johnstoning).

This is a major victory for the Tories, who have been gunning for the registry (pun not intended, but acknowledged) since the day it was enacted. Some would argue its demise is a good thing for Canadians. But anyone can see that it’s a good thing for the Conservatives.

So it’s not surprising that some Tories met with some prominent anti-registry lobbyists and other registry foes after the vote for a reception. Cocktails were served. Hands were likely shaken. No doubt a back or two was patted.

How dare they!

“I find this deplorable,” Quebec Public Security Minister Robert Dutil said Wednesday. “Frankly, they have a right to their opinion. We understand. It’s their opinion. They promised it. But to go so far as to celebrate . . . is not very adequate.” Lisette Lapointe, an independent member of the Quebec National Assembly, called it, “really offensive” and an insult to the victims of the Montreal massacre. Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois read off the names of the 14 women killed by Marc Lepine and then said, “Imagine you are the parents of one of the victims.” The celebration, said Marois, was “shameful … disgusting and … revolting.”

Nevermind the fact that the registry never would have stopped Lepine’s rampage even if it had been in place in 1989. That’s irrelevant. Just think of the families!

In Ottawa, the response was similar. Interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel called the cocktails “arrogant.” Bob Rae criticized the Tories for celebrating the end of a program that not every Canadian agreed should have ended.

Sure, Bob. Because the strong objections of gun owners to the needless stigmatization that your party foisted upon them never stopped the Liberals from celebrating the registry as proof of their devotion to public safety. You heard it here first: From now on, the Liberals will only drink to issues that 100% of Canadians agree with. The one-step program to sobriety — under those rules, they’ll never drink again.

It’s a good thing the registry is soon to end. The trumped up displays of emotion and grief inflicted upon the voters every time this needlessly expensive and error-riddled computer database was mentioned were getting hard to handle. Maybe some day, way in the future, Canadians can sit down and talk this one out rationally again. Perhaps over a cocktail or two.